When Canada final participated within the World University Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. — then referred to as the 1972 Winter Universiade — the group collected one alpine snowboarding gold and a silver in males’s hockey.
Canada surpassed that complete on the sixth day of competitors on the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games in Lake Placid, and completed with a grand complete of 13 medals on the competitors that ran from Jan. 11-22.
Canada by the numbers
While Canada has participated in 26 of the 30 universiades — biannual occasions that showcase one of the best student-athletes in 12 winter sport disciplines — courting again to 1960, these 13 medals stand because the second-best Canadian consequence, trailing solely the whole of 19 received on the 1985 Winter Universiade in Belluno, Italy.
Canada’s six gold medals additionally ties that 1985 efficiency for many at a single universiade, and equals the variety of Canada has received within the final six occasions mixed courting again to the 2009 Winter Universiade in Harbin, China.
Overall, Canada’s six golds trailed solely Japan’s 21 and South Korea’s 12 on this 12 months’s Games, and its 13 complete medals tied Germany for sixth on the general medal desk behind Japan (49), South Korea (29), France (18), Poland (17) and the United States (17).
Canada now sits tied for fifteenth on the all-time medal board with 95, and will probably be aiming to interrupt the century mark when the World University Games head to Torino, Italy in 2025.
Rousseau’s medal haul
It’s not troublesome to choose a Canadian star from these Games, because the University of Ottawa’s Shilo Rousseau surpassed the 1972 medal-haul by herself, and was named as flag-bearer for Canada when the competitors wrapped with the closing ceremonies on Sunday night time.
The biathlete collected two golds and one silver final week, starting with topping the rostrum within the ladies’s 12.5-kilometre brief particular person competitors on Jan. 14.
The 22-year-old completed 48.4 seconds forward of Poland’s Barbara Skrobiszewska to safe not solely Canada’s first medal of the Games, however the first ever Canadian podium end in biathlon at this degree.
🚨🚨MEDAL ALERT / ALERTE MÉDAILLE 🚨🚨<br><br>Shilo Rousseau picks up GOLD within the biathlon particular person occasion! 🥇 <br><br>🇨🇦´s FIRST-EVER medal in biathlon at FISU Games!<br><br>Shilo Rousseau remporte l’OR, la 1re médaille de l’histoire du 🇨🇦 aux Jeux de la FISU! <a href=”https://twitter.com/uOttawaGeeGees?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@uOttawaGeeGees</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/biathloncanada?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@biathloncanada</a> <a href=”https://t.co/xRjzv6lzqk”>pic.twitter.com/xRjzv6lzqk</a>
—@USPORTSIntl
While she collapsed in exhaustion within the Mt. Van Hoevenberg snow after crossing the end line, she had no issues recouping herself 4 days later for a silver-medal run within the ladies’s 7.5km dash, ending 24.1 seconds behind Polish winner Anna Nedza-Kubiniec.
And then simply someday later, the Thessalon, Ont., native topped the rostrum but once more when she received the ladies’s 10km pursuit, ending 40.1 seconds forward of Nedza-Kubiniec.
This marks simply the fourth time in Canadian historical past that an athlete has received two gold medals at a single universiade, becoming a member of Louis Grenier, Guy Daignault and Susan Auch, who took house a pair of golds apiece in brief monitor velocity skating in 1985.
Taking care of enterprise on the ice
Canada was equally spectacular on the Olympic Speed Skating Oval, including six medals all through final week.
Laval’s David La Rue was the star of the present, becoming a member of Rousseau as the one three-time medallists for Canada in Lake Placid.
The 24-year-old La Rue — who’s a part of the Canadian nationwide NextGen brief monitor velocity skating group — began his week on Jan. 15 with a bronze medal within the males’s 1000-metre, ending 0.19 seconds behind Japan’s Kazuya Yamada — certainly one of 11 athletes who led the Games with 4 complete medals received.
The Saint-Lambert, Que., native received gold within the males’s mass begin last to shut out his week, and he was joined on the rostrum by Laval teammate Hubert Marcotte, who took bronze within the occasion.
L’OR ET LE BRONZE! 🇨🇦🥇🥉<br><br>David La Rue remporte le départ groupé en longue piste, Hubert Marcotte termine troisième! <br><br>La Rue wins third medal at these Games, Marcotte scores his second. <a href=”https://t.co/pb78Ws2lfY”>pic.twitter.com/pb78Ws2lfY</a>
—@USPORTSIntl
The two teamed up with Joshua Telizyn of Thompson Rivers University simply two days earlier to win bronze within the males’s group pursuit in very snowy circumstances within the outside setting, trailing solely Japan and South Korea.
In the ladies’s competitors, Salmon Arm, B.C., native Laura Hall of the University of Calgary had maybe probably the most spectacular particular person efficiency for Canada throughout any sport.
The 19-year-old Canadian World Cup racing pool member set a monitor document of 4:25.70 within the ladies’s 3,000m, 2.48 seconds forward of silver medallist Jiwoo Park of Korea, and three.40 seconds forward of bronze-medal successful teammate Rose-Anne Grenier of Laval.
🇨🇦 Ahead of at the moment’s 1500m races, this is what Laura Hall needed to say yesterday after her track-record and gold-medal efficiency within the 3000m. <br><br>🇨🇦 Alors qu’on se prépare pour les programs de 1500m, voici ce que Laura Hall avait à dire au sujet de sa efficiency sur 3000m hier. <a href=”https://t.co/F6V3hKHQii”>pic.twitter.com/F6V3hKHQii</a>
—@USPORTSIntl
The University of Calgary added one other medal on the identical day when 21-year-old Elizabeth Anne Filiatrault raced to bronze within the ladies’s ski cross last on close by Gore Mountain.
While Canada’s efficiency on the outside ice was spectacular, the Dalhousie University males’s curling group additionally took care of enterprise on the curling sheet on the Saranac Lake Civic Center.
Skip Owen Purcell alongside third Jeffrey Meagher, alternate Caelan McPherson (all of Halifax), second Adam McEachren and lead David McCurdy (each of Truro, N.S.), earned bronze in dramatic style on Friday night time.
After rattling off six straight wins throughout the spherical robin portion of the match, Canada misplaced its final two video games of group play and the semifinal match in opposition to eventual gold-medal winner Great Britain.
Deadlocked at two in opposition to Switzerland within the eighth and last finish of the bronze-medal sport, the 22-year-old Purcell delivered a must-make shot with Canada’s last stone to steal third place.
Let’s have one other have a look at that spectacular final shot by Owen Purcell. Calm, cool and picked up underneath strain pulling off a triple!<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/FISUGames?src=hash&ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>#FISUGames</a> <a href=”https://t.co/8p89O40UmS”>pic.twitter.com/8p89O40UmS</a>
—@CurlingCanada
Back on prime of the hockey world
The Canadian ladies’s and males’s hockey groups had been a constant issue for years on the World University Games — the Canadian ladies had by no means completed decrease the second place of their six occasions collaborating since 2009, and the Canadian males boasted 12 straight podium finishes courting again to 1997 in Chonju-Muju, South Korea.
Despite the constant success, neither group had received gold because the 2013 Games in Italy.
Not solely did that change on the legendary Olympic Center in Lake Placid over the weekend, however each Canadian groups did it in convincing style.
The Canadian ladies’s group was first to the highest of the rostrum when it dispatched Japan 5-0 on Saturday night time with University of New Brunswick goaltender Kendra Woodland securing her third shutout of the Games — a quantity that matched the whole variety of objectives allowed by Canada in its 7-0 run throughout the match.
This golden feeling. Ce sentiment de médaille d’or. <a href=”https://t.co/AxkfUmCk4S”>pic.twitter.com/AxkfUmCk4S</a>
—@USPORTSIntl
University of Montreal’s Audrey-Anne Veillette potted the golden objective early within the second interval after Japanese goaltender Miyuu Masuhara stood on her head within the opening body making 15 saves.
Nipissing Lakers ahead Maria Dominico paced Canada with a team-leading six objectives and 11 factors within the match, main a really balanced assault that averaged six objectives per sport.
The Canadian males’s hockey group clinched gold in a 7-2 win over rival United States on Sunday after an undefeated run throughout seven video games, outscoring opponents 48-8 alongside the best way.
As was the case for your complete match, the Canadians merely overwhelmed their opponent within the gold-medal sport, outshooting the Americans 47-19. Toronto Metropolitan University’s Kyle Bollers’ objective stood because the winner within the second interval off of a stunning feed from UPEI’s TJ Shea.
FISU MHKY: He’s taken on a penalty killing position throughout thee FISU Games, however <a href=”https://twitter.com/tmuboldmhky?ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>@tmuboldmhky</a> main scorer Kyle Bollers scores the 3-0 objective for Team Canada within the gold medal sport.<br><br>Canada main 4-0 now, heading to the powerplay that Bollers simply drew.<br><br> <a href=”https://t.co/z0bNRPlSb4″>pic.twitter.com/z0bNRPlSb4</a>
—@BenSteiner00
While Bollers left for Lake Placid because the main scorer in U Sports, Brett Davis of the University of Manitoba led the best way for Canada within the match with seven objectives and 12 factors.
The gold-medal consequence put a bow on among the best performances Canada has ever had within the occasion, one they’re going to look to construct on not simply in 2025, but additionally the Summer occasion happening in Chengdu, China from July 28 to Aug. 8 this 12 months.
